Chapter One: The River's Edge

In 2013, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the chief creative officer of Archie Comics, collaborated with Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore for a live-action coming-of-age film based on the Archie Comics universe. In their pitch to Warner Bros., studio executives suggested a more "high concept" project, creating a time travel plot in which Louis C.K. portrayed an older Archie.[2] After the film deal fell through, Warner Bros. producer Sarah Schechter took a job working with Greg Berlanti, and asked Aguirre-Sacasa if he would be interested in making an Archie television series.[3] On October 23, 2014, Deadline Hollywood reported that Fox had landed the project, with Berlanti producing.[4] In July 2015, the project moved to The CW,[5] who gave the series a pilot order on January 29, 2016. The project was pitched as a "subversive take" on the characters of Archie Comics.[6]

On February 9, 2016, Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse were cast as Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, respectively.[7] After an extensive, four-month talent search, KJ Apa was cast as Archie Andrews on February 24, 2016. That same day, Luke Perry was cast as Archie's father, Fred Andrews, while Ashleigh Murray was cast as Josie McCoy, the lead singer of the popular band Josie and the Pussycats.[8][9] Later that day, Madelaine Petsch was named to the role of Cheryl Blossom.[10] Camila Mendes was the last of the main cast to join the series, being cast as Veronica Lodge on February 26.[11] The Lodge family, who are written as Caucasian in the comics, were adapted as Latin Americans for Riverdale.[12]

On March 3, 2016, Marisol Nichols joined the cast as Veronica's mother Hermione; the next day, Mädchen Amick was cast as Betty's mother Alice.[13][14] Later that week, the supporting cast filled out with Ross Butler as Reggie Mantle, Daniel Yang as Dilton Doiley, and Cody Kearsley as Moose Mason.[15] The last actor announced for the pilot was Casey Cott, portraying Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in Archie Comics history.[16]

Aguirre-Sacasa wanted the costuming and production to set the show's dark aesthetic, telling Vanity Fair, "people had so many preconceived ideas about what the show was going to be - that it would be light and frothy and bubblegum pink - that we knew we needed to take a big swing right out of the gate, to make something that was highly designed, highly curated."[17] Multiple actors had to dye their hair for their roles. Reinhart and Sprouse, both natural dirty blondes, needed to dye their hair a lighter blonde and black, respectively. Apa, meanwhile, underwent the most intensive process to turn his naturally brunette hair red for Archie.[18]

Hala Bahmet, who went on to work on This Is Us, served as costume designer for "The River's Edge". She worked with Aguirre-Sacasa to design each character's aesthetic, a combination of modern and vintage fashion. Bahmet worked with a knitter to design Jughead's beanie, which was designed with subtle points to reflect the whoopee cap that his character wears in the original comics.[19]

Filming for the pilot took place between March 14 and March 31, 2016 in the Vancouver metropolitan area, with the exception of establishing shots of the town, which were filmed in Harbor Springs, Michigan.[20] Scenes at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe were filmed at Rocko's Family Diner in nearby Mission, British Columbia.[21] The exterior facade of Riverdale High is Lord Byng Secondary School, while interior shots are filmed at a combination of different schools.[22] Scenes at Sweetwater River were filmed around Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park and Alice Lake Provincial Park.[23] Petsch, who is afraid of open bodies of water, requested a stunt double for her opening scene on a boat, but ended up filming the scene herself, which she referred to as "great therapy".[24]

• "Number One" by Tove Styrke
• "Tell Me" by Johnny Jewel featuring Saoirse Ronan
• "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" by Mike Posner
• "Boyfriend" by Tegan and Sara
• "Laser Gun" by M83 featuring Mai Lan
• "Only" by RY X
• "Can't Get Enough of Myself" by Santigold featuring BC Unidos
• "No Stranger" by Small Black
• "No Surprise" by The Shacks, El Michels Affair
• "The Passenger" by Hunter As a Horse
• "Mustang Kids" by Zella Day

In the United States, the episode received a 0.5/2 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 0.5 percent of all households, and 2 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 1.38 million viewers.[27] With Live+7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode was watched by 2.38 million viewers and had an overall rating of 0.9 in the 18–49 demographic.[28]

Joshua Yehl at IGN rated the episode an 8.5 out of 10, stating, "An eerie, sharply-executed pilot gets Riverdale off to a strong start. A murder mystery ignites all sorts of drama inside a small town, turning colorful Archie comic characters into intriguing people with dark secrets. Visually, it's a moody and at times surreal feast for the eyes. The plot peels back layers of this twisted old town one at a time, and while it can feel a tad strange watching such liberties being taken with classic characters, it's all done with confidence and intent. It's as if the showmakers wore a devilish smile while crafting this show, knowing the audience would also be wearing one by the time the credits roll."[29]

The A.V. Club's LaToya Ferguson gave the episode a "B+" and wrote, "As a pilot episode, "Chapter One: The River’s Edge" does the job of making the audience want to sit and watch these characters on a weekly basis. It remains to be seen if it will live up to its many influences, but it certainly has a lot going for it from the start."[30]

Giving the episode a 7.2 out of 10, Kyle Fowle of Paste stated: "In essence, "Chapter One: The River’s Edge" doesn't exactly feel like a proper representation of what we'll get from a full season of Riverdale, as the procedural elements, such as the revelation that Archie and Ms. Grundy heard a gunshot in the woods the morning after their tryst, barely make themselves known here. That said, the premiere does a great job crafting a world that feels alive and unique. From the neon glow of the diner, to the outsized but nuanced characters".[31]